


Hosie Is Life

by xdeadeyesx



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Real World, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Interracial Relationship Angst, M/M, Multiverse, Post-Canon, Racism, Showmance, White Girl Redemption Arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:27:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25031695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xdeadeyesx/pseuds/xdeadeyesx
Summary: “Oh wiii-fey!” Hope hears Josie’s voice playfully ringing out from across the studio. She sees the youngest Saltzman twin waving her fingers at her, an adorable smile on her face.Wifey? Is that me? Am I 'wifey'? Though confused, Hope can’t help but grin her widest grin back and wave, though she can’t bring herself to do twinkly spirit fingers the way Josie just had. She did have some pride and restraint when it came to Josette Saltzman, after all.ORAnother monster has emerged from Malivore and it has sent Hope to another dimension... where is she is an actress named Danielle Rose Russell starring on a TV show called Legacies? And Josie is as adorable as ever but named Kaylee?The idea is to go from fluff to some serious commentary on the state of the world and the ways that even shows like Legacy need to step up and address anti-Blackness in the US.Basically I just binge-watched Legacies over the week (having never watched Vampire Diaries or Originals) and then spent last night looking at all sorts of content related to the show and the actors and creators. And in conclusion: Hosie is life but Kaylee and Danielle and Julie Penc need to get their shit together!
Relationships: Danielle Rose Russell/Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Kaylee Bryant, Jade/Josie Saltzman, Landon Kirby/Hope Mikaelson, Milton "MG" Greasley/Kaleb Hawkins
Comments: 72
Kudos: 273





	1. All the World's a Soundstage

“And cut!”

Hope’s eyes fly open and she is blinded by bright lights in her face. Raising one hand, she shields her eyes and looks around. Most of her friends and family are surrounding her in the common room of the Salvatore School, along with … strangers she doesn’t recognize and a bunch of… camera equipment?

“Oh hey, Danielle, can you hand me my script over there by the camera real quick?”

“What script? What did you just call me?”

“Uh...Danielle?”

“You know my name is Hope, Dr. Saltzman. Why are you calling me a random name?”

Alaric looks at her oddly and then laughs. “Good one, _Danielle_. You know I don’t do any of that method acting crap,” he says, shaking his head. He moves past her and grabs a binder and a cup of coffee from a table to her left. 

“Twenty minutes everyone! And when I say twenty, I mean _twenty_!” yells a figure Hope can’t see clearly from behind the spotlights.

Suddenly, the lamps cut and Hope can finally see beyond them but instead of the rest of the Salvatore School building, there is a cavernous warehouse crawling with even more strangers, all of whom look busy and harried. 

“What the fuck…?” She starts cataloguing through all the lore she has stored in her brain even though she knows there is no monster she can think of who can turn your life into a … TV show?

“Oh wiii-fey!” Hope hears Josie’s voice playfully ringing out from across the studio. She sees the eldest Saltzman twin waving her fingers at her, an adorable smile on her face.

_Wifey? Is that me? Am I wifey?_ Though confused, Hope can’t help but grin her widest grin back and wave. She can’t bring herself to do twinkly spirit fingers the way Josie just had though. She did have some pride and restraint when it came to Josette Saltzman, after all. 

Now Josie is changing body language completely, placing one hand on her hip and fixing Hope with a 40’s starlet come-hither pout as she crooks her index finger and beckons Hope to her, the gesture somehow both suggestive and parodic at the same time. Once satisfied that Hope is moving towards her, Josie turns and walks to the nearest exit sign.

MG is watching them both, a suspicious look on his face as Hope disappears out the door after Josie. 

Checking once again to make sure that Hope is following, Josie looks over her shoulder and fixes Hope with a sly grin. She leads her to one of many trailers in a large lot. The door to the trailer says, “Kaylee Bryant” on it. Hope wonders why they are entering a trailer with someone else’s name on it but doesn’t say anything. She follows Josie up the short flight of stairs and into the trailer, the air conditioning a relief after the short but humid walk from the studio to the trailer. She shivers as the the sweat that had gathered along her hairline and neck begins to cool. 

Hope shuts the door behind her and Josie turns to face her, leaning against the white vanity table that lines the opposite wall of the trailer. She silently appraises Hope from head to toe. Hope squirms. 

“OMG, Danielle, you look good enough to _eat_ today!” Josie intones appreciatively. 

Hope finds herself disoriented, aroused, and offended simultaneously and her face blushes pink. She crosses her arms over her chest protectively. “Why are you all calling me Danielle? That’s not my name,” she murmurs and looks away.

Josie squints her eyes at Hope and looks dubious. 

“Okay, weirdo. Are you gonna come over here and kiss me or what? We only have twenty minutes, you know.”

“Wh -- what?”

“Kiss… me… on the lips? Or, I mean, twenty minutes might be long enough...” Josie looks up and to the side, contemplating. “You _just_ might have enough time to kiss me other places too,” she smirks, her voice going husky, “I’m already _so_ wet after watching you in that fight scene.” Still smirking, the brunette starts to move towards Hope, her gaze intent and direct. 

Hope feels a jolt of desire. Her brain begins to short-circuit. She gapes wordlessly at Josie. She can’t seem to breathe. Is she dying? Did Josie Saltzman just tell her she made her _wet_? 

Hope finds herself getting lost in Josie’s eyes. It wouldn’t be the first time those chocolate brown eyes captivated her but this heated gaze is something she’s only seen focused on other people. Penelope. Rafael. Landon. But not her. As much as she had daydreamed about it, never her!


	2. Fluff and Smut and Beards, Oh My!

Josie crosses the short distance to Hope and languorously leans her body into the auburn-haired woman until she has her pressed up against the door, her mouth lowering to Hope’s as if it were inevitable, the most natural thing in the world. 

Hope finds herself moaning into Josie’s mouth, the sensation of the full body contact overwhelming her, desire flowing through her body lava-like as she feels Josie’s full lips press wetly onto hers. She has no idea why this is happening, what is happening, nor where she is, and she can’t think of a single reason why she should stop.

She reaches out and takes what she’s wanted for years, pulling Josie into her greedily, wrapping her arms around her hips and squeezing tight as she plunges her tongue into Josie’s willing mouth. They kiss again and again, hips rocking into each other, hands roaming beneath skirts and ties and button down shirts, grasping at soft flesh, gasps and moans erupting so spontaneously that neither can tell who’s making what noise. They kiss until they are breathless, pulling apart momentarily to regroup. 

“Mmmmm,” Josie sighs with pleasure as she presses her forehead to Hope’s. “That’s my girl. I can’t believe you were acting shy before. I love it so much when you take what you want.”

Emboldened, Hope growls hungrily, her eyes flashing as she locks eyes with Josie’s intensely, an act of complete dominance to which Josie eagerly submits. She lifts one of Josie’s legs, hooking it around her waist securely. Still making eye contact, she slides her hand to Josie’s ass cheek and squeezes, causing Josie to gasp and moan. Josie begins to grind on Hope, her crotch sliding on the tensed thigh Hope has pressed between Josie’s legs. The heat and damp emanating from Josie’s pussy, past her panties, and onto Hope’s bare leg is possibly the most erotic thing she has ever felt in her life and she finds herself moaning in time with Josie’s hard downward thrusts. 

Oh my god, you _are_ ,” she almost can’t say the words, “so wet.”

Josie’s only response is a low mewling sound. She wraps her arms around Hope’s neck as she leans in for more deep kisses and continues to ride her leg, her cries growing more urgent and high-pitched. 

“Kaylee!” A sharp series of knocks erupts and Hope can feel them against her back. She yelps and jumps away from the door, breaking their delicious embrace abruptly. Josie stumbles and Hope must reach out to steady her. 

“Kaylee! I know you’re in there!”

“Fuck!” Josie puts her hands to her temples as if the knocking and yelling is physically hurting her. “Shut up, Quincy, I hear you! Hold on!” she yells. She lowers her hands and looks at Hope’s disheveled clothes and swollen lips with a sidelong, regretful glance. They stare at each other for a few silent moments as their gasping breaths and pounding hearts return to a more reasonable cadence. 

“You're Kaylee?” Hope asks in confusion.

Josie looks at Hope strangely. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” she asks, reaching out and caressing Hope’s upper arm with a concerned look on her face.

 _Stop acting brand new, Mikaelson!_ _It’s obvious that everyone has different names in this dimension or whatever it is. Shut up, observe, and learn._

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine! I’m just messing with you,” she says quickly, giving her most convincing casual smile. 

Clearly, Kaylee does not quite believe her but she reaches past Hope and throws the door open. 

It smacks Quincy right in the face. “Ow! What the hell, Kaylee? I’m just trying to warn y’all that we have five minutes.”

Kaylee’s hands fly to her mouth and she stifles a laugh behind them. “Oh my god, baby boy! I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?” She yowls in a high-pitched parody of concern that is bordering on baby talk. 

“No you’re not, bitch, but seeing as I’m your beard and all, you could act a little more grateful,” Quincy growls, a hurt expression on his face. 

“Who ever said _I_ was the one who needed a beard?”

“Well, you know what I mean.”

“Of course I do, my love. But, like, are you ever gonna tell Chris how you feel? I see him checking you out all the time and you two have the cutest bromantic vamp chemistry ever!” 

“Stop it. Let’s go before we’re late! And can y’all like clean up or whatever? You look…” He looks away in embarrassment. “Everyone is definitely gonna know what you’re up to,” he gripes. 

“Never! That’s the genius of me constantly flirting with Danielle in public!” Kaylee explains as she pauses to smooth her hair and clothes, prompting Hope to do the same. “Everyone just thinks it’s part of the Hosie act, ya know? They’d never suspect that I am really, truly,” she reaches out to Hope and grabs her hand, kissing the back of it sweetly, “head over heels for Danielle Rose Russell,” she finishes solemnly, looking deeply into Hope’s eyes with not a hint of sarcasm. 

Hope practically swoons right then and there and has to avert her gaze. She bites at her lip in consternation. It’s just too much and too intense too soon. She inexplicably feels like crying.

“Mmhmm, whatever.” Quincy rolls his eyes and takes off towards the studio. 

The other two follow reluctantly, Kaylee’s hand still firmly wrapped around Hope’s, Hope’s other hand surreptitiously wiping at her still-slick thigh. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Would Hope really go for it like this? What do you all think?


	3. In Which the Fandom Makes a Clear Case Regarding Hosie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whew. This one is as long as the first two put together. Writing is a lot of work lol! Hopefully moving the action along and also serving as a small love note to fandoms. You all are the real MVPs *lipstick kiss emoji*

As they enter the studio Quincy looks back and eyes their clasped hands. He leans back and grabs Kaylee’s free hand.

“Ew, what are you doing perv?” Kaylee teases.

“Nothing. Just holding hands with my best friend but also likely romantic interest as far as cisheteronormative culture is concerned,” he explains.

“Well now people are gonna think we’re a triad.”

“Ooh I like _that_!” Quincy rubs his hands together with glee before going back to holding Kaylee's hand again. “The fandom’s gonna love it. Let’s see,” he pauses thoughtfully, “Now what would a Milton-Hope-Josie ship be called? Mopie?”

“Nooo,” Kaylee whines, “That sounds terrible!” They all laugh, even Hope, though she has no idea what half of what they are saying even means

“Hosieton?” They erupt into more laughter.

“Oh my god stop! I’m gonna pee! Ugh, I forgot to use the bathroom… This is all your fault, _Danielle_. Distracting me during the _entire_ break,” Kaylee scolds, pretending to give Hope a dirty look.

Hope smirks at her but says nothing. She decides that she’s really enjoying this sassy, sexy, and lively girl named Kaylee.

“Places, please, everyone. We have quite a few scenes to shoot today so let’s get in the zone! Everyone is doing so great, by the way. I can’t believe it’s been a year! It’s so good to be back!”

Everyone claps and a few people whistle and whoop as they start to take different positions in the Great Room set. Kaylee and Quincy wave goodbye and walk away towards their marks.

Shit. Hope has no idea where to go. She remembers that when she came to earlier she was right next to Alaric, so she makes a beeline for him across the room.

“Hey Danielle.”

“La-- Uh, hi!” Her favorite phoenix moves forward as if to give her a hug and Hope involuntarily shrinks away, suddenly very, very paranoid about the fact that she has Kaylee’s scent all over her leg and hands.

He graciously ignores her awkwardness and gives a small wave and warm smile instead. “It’s good to see you after all these months! I’m gonna come and find you later, kay?

“Okaay, sure…” Hope drawls, her eyes going wide at the thought of having to talk to the boy who looks like the boy she loves after she’s just cheated on him with the girl who looks like her mega-crush/his ex-girlfriend.

Wait a minute, what? Either way she was still a cheating piece of shit...

“Better go, bye!” She scurries off as quickly as possible.

“Bye…” Aria murmurs to her retreating back.

When Hope finally arrives to where Alaric is standing, she freezes, feeling a strong compulsion to hug _him_ , this man who resembles the closest thing she has to a father and who is the person she would usually go to when she was being mindfucked by the supernatural. But no, this is not the man who has sworn to guide and protect her, this is some guy who seems like a real dudebro. So she simply nods at him instead. He fixes her with a quick smile and goes back to muttering lines to himself.

The loader comes through with a clapperboard, getting ready to call out the scene.

 _Acting. How hard could it be? I’m just playing myself right? I’ll just… pretend I forgot my lines. Yeah. Yeah. No problem!_ She sighs and feels her stomach clench with a nervousness that she has never felt walking into battle with countless malevolent monsters.

“Uh, excuse me? Ms. Russell? You’re not actually in this scene? We won’t actually need you until the afternoon,” says an apologetic PA.

“Oh thank god!” she says and stalks off.

She goes back out the exit, desperately needing a break from this very confusing and exhausting reality. She heads back towards where she had followed Kaylee and her mind’s eye is suddenly replaying the mask of arousal on the dark-eyed woman’s face, her open, moaning mouth, the thrill of their bare skin sliding together. She begins to feel hot. She barely contains a lustful groan.

“Focus, dammit,” she whispers to herself, using her many years of warrior training to turn off unwanted thoughts and feelings and focus on her mission. Which is to figure out how she got here and why.

Not obsess over the fact that she had almost made her forever crush come with a well-placed thigh.

She is satisfied to see that a trailer with “her” name is right across from Kaylee’s and, “Of course. It has a keypad.” She throws a spell at it and nothing happens. _Fuck. Am I really a muggle here?_ She tries another spell to no avail. She decides to take a chance and try the combination she has used for every PIN she has ever had. The door clicks open and she breathes a sigh of relief.

She instinctively scans the room for threats and clues. She’s relieved to see a cell phone sitting out on a table. She grabs it and Face ID scans her face, opening it right up. She taps the text message app and sees, unsurprisingly, that the first name on the list is Kaylee’s. Certain she’s not ready for whatever Kaylee and Danielle have to send to each other, she skips that name for now. The next is “Mom” followed by names she doesn’t recognize. She opens a few and sees that it is mostly mundane stuff, work-related messages, people who are probably her friends checking in, making plans to talk or meet up, etc.

She decides not to look at photos just yet because, once again, she is afraid to see things she won’t be able to unsee. Her panties are already ruined for the day and anything like Kaylee nudes would be… unproductive.

Plus her conscience has already been needling her about the ethics of being intimate with someone who is not really Josie and who thinks Hope is someone who she is not either.

Being the living conduit of ancestral evil has made Hope constantly paranoid about whether she is unknowingly doing something bad and she finds herself feeling defensive, unsettled, and guilty.

 _Or are we who we are no matter what and always destined to be drawn to each other?_ another part of her brain challenges.

 _Nope. Nope. Nope. This is not what we’re going to spend this time doing,_ she redirects herself.

She decides the next logical thing to do is Google “Danielle Rose Russell” and see what comes up. There are literally tens of millions of hits. Growling in frustration, she silently wishes for Dorian to appear in the trailer and also tangentially wonders why they don’t use the internet for research more during monster emergencies.

However, in no time at all she figures out that she is a very famous and very successful young actor, somehow older than Hope, and also, unfortunately, a Scorpio.

Her overall impression is that there is actually little personal information that would help you know who this celebrity is as a person. Even with all the pictures and posts there seems to be something closed off about Danielle Rose Russell. Perhaps she and her doppelganger are more alike than she would have thought.

Strategizing about what she needs to know about “herself” to get by in this surreal world, she dutifully memorizes the “real” names of all her “castmates” and then reads through as much as she can stand of the extremely detailed fan wiki for “Legacies,” which is apparently what the story of the lives of her and her loved ones is called.

She is shocked to find that every episode is perfectly aligned to memories she has of her actual life. She knew what she went through on a daily basis was wild and unbelievable but she had never thought about whether it was exciting enough to be a story others would want to watch on TV. It’s kind of horrifying and exciting at the same time.

She remembers something that Kaylee had said that had made her curious and, against her better judgement, types “Hosie” into the search bar.

Scrolling through the results page she sees that there are tons of videos and she taps on some at random. Most are spliced-together footage of scenes between Kaylee and Danielle on the show, cut to suggest that there is a deep and abiding secret love between the two.

Hope has never felt more called out in her whole life. Laid out like this it’s so… obvious.

Many other instances of clueless flirting, too-intense eye contact, and unnecessarily charged touching that were never shown on film flash through Hope’s mind and she is mortified.

She wants to stop but she really can’t. Other videos show Danielle and Kaylee on social media, shamelessly fanning the flames of the Hosie ship.

“Hosie is life,” proclaims Kaylee as Danielle shows off her “wifey” on an Instagram live post.

The constant giggling and flirting are really not much different from many of the memories that had just had Hope wincing with embarrassment.

And then it hits her. Danielle is probably confused as hell right now too, trapped in a reality where she has become the tribrid monster-slayer she has been playing on TV for a good chunk of her young life!

She’s pretty sure that she, Hope, has gotten the better end of the deal and realizes how absolutely terrifying and dangerous it’s going to be for a normal ass person to suddenly be plunged into the traumatizing supernatural disaster that is her life.

She goes cold thinking about the multiversal implications of her doppelganger getting taken out by a ripper vamp or whatever the new monster is while she’s over here playing Muggle Josie’s rich starlet secret girlfriend.

She raises a prayer to whatever goddesses are listening that Danielle has arrived with the tribrid powers she is already sorely missing.

Oh shit. What if Danielle approaches Josie thinking she’s Kaylee and tries to kiss her or talk about her undying love or something? Oh shit.

She begins to feel the same stomach-clenching fear from earlier, as well as a hot surge of jealousy. If anyone is going to kiss her Josie, it’s not going to be some celebrity imposter! She slams her fist down on the table and, “Ow!” That shouldn’t even hurt. Stupid human body.

The rollercoaster of revelations and emotions has Hope breathing heavily. She realizes she needs to calm down.

“You have handled much more difficult situations than this. Get it together!” she admonishes, closing her eyes and taking a series of long, deep breaths to steady herself.

As she feels her heartbeat slow and attempts to unclench her tight shoulders, she realizes she is absolutely exhausted.

She can barely keep her eyes open. It couldn’t hurt for her to rest a bit on the couch in her trailer right? She has plenty of time…

She drags herself to the couch, flopping down unceremoniously, her eyes closing as soon as her head hits the armrest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapters will be cut scenes to other action in the story. What would you rather read first: Kaylee talking about her relationship with Danielle with Quincy over lunch OR Which being brought Danielle to this dimension and why? 
> 
> P.S. The fact that I don't see many stories on here that center Josie's POV (or maybe send me suggestions?) makes me think about how her character development on the show is kinda trash. I really hope she doesn't go back to being sweet and passive in Season 3 after exorcising Dark Josie.


	4. White Girl Tears Don't Work on Goddesses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danielle's POV in Josie's mindscape and introduction to the "monster" of this story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would try to blame how long it's taken me to continue this fic on the pandemic but that would be a lie. this is just how i am. can't guarantee anything but i'm super thankful for anyone who has taken the time to read these chapters. try kudos and comments, i think they might motivate me. the one i got recently did anyway so thanks so much to that person! this is short but i have some parts of the next ones written already <3

_When the Daughter of the Sun emerges from Malevore she is_ pissed _. Firstly, her white robes are filthy. She plucks an ostrich feather from her crown and waves it across her body, the Malevore sludge vanishing as if it were never there._

_Secondly, she can already feel that while she was gone, the world had gone to absolute shit. She has much work ahead of her._

* * *

Danielle awakens to blackness. A cold, hard blackness that makes it hard for her to think. This is not the first time she has become conscious but it never seems to last. All she can think of is coldness and blackness and blackness and coldness until she begins to fade into the nothingness that always, inevitably swallows her. 

This time as she begins to slip away again, a light emerges out of the darkness and she is plunged into it. Her skin sings with a heat so intense that she breaks out in goosebumps. She gasps as her eyes fly open and she takes in her surroundings. 

Danielle stands against the wall of a half-ruined rotunda surrounded by forest. Standing in front of her is a commanding figure in white robes and a crown of feathers. She instinctively knows that she is in the presence of divine power and feels her knees, her entire body trembling. A feeling she can’t explain overtakes the entire trunk of her body and sobs begin to flap in her chest. She sucks in a deep breath, and without knowing why, falls to her knees to beg and plead. 

“Oh please, My Lady, Great Goddess of all good and righteous ways! Please, please, I beg you. I supplicate myself before you! I ask nothing, I only plead, My Beloved, _please_!” The words fall from her mouth unbidden between great, wracking cries as another, smaller part of her watches with rapt confusion and disbelief. 

“Shh. That’s enough my child. I see you that you still remember. I see that you understand what you have done. Mother Justice is returned again to guide you,” she says in soothing, even tones. 

Immediately, Danielle feels the sorrow and repentance that had overtaken her ease and her breath quickly returns to a normal cadence. 

As she takes in the beauty and grandeur of the dark-skinned Goddess before her, her brow knits in confusion. “Justice? _You_ are Justice?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?” Though Lady Justice’s voice maintains its even tone, Danielle realizes what she has said and feels her stomach constrict with fear. She understands with horror that she is going to truthfully share her thoughts. 

“Well… in every image I’ve ever seen Justice is,” her voice drops down to a whisper, “white.”

“I am Maat. Those paler deities you so clumsily refer to _are_ me and they are _not_ me. They are paths that all lead back to me. Without me they do not exist nor do I without them. Now, is that sufficient or do you need more education before I tell you why I am here?”

“No, My Lady,” the auburn-haired woman says quickly, involuntarily bowing her head. 

“I am here because Justice is chaotic. Two seemingly unmatched events balance one another nonetheless, setting off a chain reaction of counterbalances, some so subtle as to be indiscernible, others an explosion leaving more chaos in its wake. But always, as a great man once said, in an arc towards Justice.

“I am here to summon you to play your part. Since I have been freed from Malevore, I have been setting things right as quickly as possible, adjusting the multiverses to reverse the calamaties that have plagued these worlds in my absence. Without me, my sisters have faltered, have become dysfunctional. Had I not appeared to you and your other you, she would have remained encased in stone for years and you would have fulfilled the paltriest of potentials. Now, thank me for explaining the machinations of divinity and freeing you, child.”

“Thank you, oh thank you, My Lady!” Danielle gasps out with sincerity.

“You are here because you are only good out of fear. You hold many kernels of hate in your heart that you gild with gold and jewels but Maat sees through them. Just because you act at being a hero does not mean that you are one or ever will be one. I am sending you on a quest to learn this lesson.

“Remember that you are not special yet you have an indispensable part to play. Remember that you are just one amongst others and you may survive.

“The only thing that will redeem you is love.”

With that, Maat imparts Danielle with one last bottomless stare and waves her hand.

Danielle is once again thrown into an abyss. 

When she opens her eyes again, they are looking straight into the tearful brown eyes of the love of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will you hate me if i jump to kaylee and quincy having lunch? there will be *so much* tea, i promise. 
> 
> also for those interested in discussing such things, i'm feel like i'm really pushing at my own edges trying to imagine what a white person like danielle rose russell and a character like hope mikaelson would need to experience to really have the awakening necessary to truly fight against white supremacy. from what i understand danielle has been pretty disappointing in her understanding of black lives matter issues and got defensive when challenged by fans in a live? i'm pioneering the white girl redemption arc, you all! 
> 
> also also, don't you think that because race is not really addressed adequately in this show, hella racist shit is constantly happening in mystic falls that we just don't see? like founder's day probably honors slave owners, right?
> 
> also x 3, who thinks that really old vampires like klaus mikaelson are potentially more racist than boomer grandpas?


	5. White Girl Tears Don't Work on Kaylee Bryant Either

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweedledee and Tweedledum go to brunch and a window into Kaylee and Danielle's dynamic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People of color making the decision not to date white people or setting boundaries with white lovers is not racist, it is self-preservation, in case anyone was planning on trying to make the argument.

“So where’s Danielle?”

“I don’t know. I’m not her keeper,” Kaylee mumbles, her eyes avoiding her bestie’s and shifting nervously to the right before focusing on the less-than-inspiring salad in front of her. Why did she order salad? She doesn’t even like salad. 

“But you kinda are, Tweedledum,” he says cheerfully, booping her nose. She rolls her eyes. 

“First of all, this is our weekly bestie brunch time so of course I’m not focused on where Danielle is and also… Well, after we broke up twice during shelter in place we agreed not to be so codependent once shooting started and give each other more space.”

“Oh okay. So having a quickie in your trailer was you two giving each other space. I see.” Quincy creases his brow and purses his lips as if deep in thought, bringing his index finger to the side of his face and tilting his head like James Lipton in the Actor’s Studio, “Fascinating.”

“Come onnnn... don’t be mean! Did you _see_ that fight scene, Q?” Kaylee asks with a whine that makes Quincy scrunch his nose as if he had smelled something bad. 

“I did but it did not have the same effect on me that it did you,” he states diplomatically. “So what made you all decide to get serious about the boundaries? I’m proud of you by the way,” he says with a sincere, angelic smile. 

“Thank you. Well, we got into another fight last week because she said something ig-- problematic again and when I called her out on it, she started tearing up and I told her to get her white girl tears out of my face and she kinda lost it a little bit and started _really_ crying and then complained about how she felt like I was gonna punish her forever for her mistakes and that she was _learning_ and _trying_ , etc.”

“Hmm… and how do you feel about all that sibling?” he questions evenly, even though his internal response is, _Oh, fuck no!_ He finally takes a bite of his food, the chilaquiles “special” that looks like it consists of soggy corn chips, chunky salsa, and canned black beans topped with neon yellow cheese. He begins to chew and then grimaces, briefly thinking about spitting the food into a napkin but deciding to do the polite thing and swallow the bite as quickly as possible. 

“I don’t know why you insist on ordering Mexican food in rural Virginia, Q. You know you’re just gonna get your feelings hurt,” she states sympathetically. 

He agrees with a small frown and sighs, pushing his plate away and chewing on the toast that was inexplicably offered as a side with his meal. 

“Anyway. I mean, of course I was fuckin' _pissed_. I told her exactly what was wrong with her trying to talk to me like that… like ugh! And then after we both took space in separate rooms, she apologized and we emailed the therapist for an extra appointment, followed by amazing make-up sex, followed by a session with the therapist two days later where we agreed on new boundaries, which of course we are breaking already…” She groans in frustration at herself. “I don’t know, this … this has got to be the last white person for a while… do you hear me, Quincy? You need to hold me to that the next time.” He gives her a doubtful look. “I’m serious!” 

As if in response to Kaylee’s diatribe, her phone buzzes loudly on the surface of their booth. It's screen-side-down so she can't see who it is. 

They both know they are thinking it is a text from Danielle. Kaylee fights to keep her gaze on Quincy and pretends her heart hasn’t jumped and that she isn’t itching to check her phone. 

He flicks his eyes away from her phone and focuses back on her face and the way she is biting her lip anxiously. “I mean of course, like, yeah. You know I got you. No more people even paler than you after this one,” he says with a slight smirk. 

“I knew I could count on you, baby boy,” she says with her own smirk. 

They pause to actually eat some of their food, or at least whatever is edible, which means splitting the toast after Kaylee requests peanut butter and jelly to accompany it. Quincy clears his throat nervously and picks up the thread of their conversation again. “Um, so, but like what if she’s--you know what, no. I’m not gonna say that, that’s just… yeah.”

“What??”

“Nothing, nevermind.”

“Quincy Fouse, I will tell Chris that you keep a folder of screenshots in your phone of your favorite photos of him if you don’t tell me what you were gonna say!” Kaylee hisses, causing him to gasp in mock horror.

“You don’t have to go straight to such violent threats, gosh. I just don’t want to say it cuz it’s just like that heteronormative … ugh! That normative shit, you know? Like… like, like maybe… what if she’s the ONE and you’re just stuck with her even though she’s kinda toxic and aggravating but cute and despite it all, you just fit together, you know? And then there’s just all that chemistry and you know that you’re meant for each other.” He shakes himself out of his halting diatribe and runs his hand over his face as if erasing what had been there before and putting on a new countenance. A less vulnerable, more worldly one. “That’s not even a thing, right?” he scoffs. ”Like iono, we both say that’s not a thing, _right_?” He says these last words almost desperately, as if he is very invested in them being true. 

Kaylee is aware that he’s not even talking about her own entanglement anymore but keeps it to herself. “Yeah, I mean… yeah! It’s really _not_ a thing--anything’s possible, of course--and maybe we're just continuing to fall victim to um, to these romantical ideas sometimes as much as we’re trying not to cuz culture is very persuasive and we just need to keep reminding each other of what the truth is. I mean, that’s why we’re friends right? We don’t buy into that compulsory monogamy, straight toxic bullshit and like whatever, if the rest of the world doesn’t get it, they don’t get it.”

“Exactly. We’re gonna get free while the rest of the world just keeps mindlessly putting themselves in a box,” he states with more surety than he feels.

“I _am_ just gonna call myself out though and point out that I’m the one dating an only-recently-not-totally-clueless-about-race white TV star who is also my co-star who I am contractually obligated to not date publicly, and that she’s kind of a bonehead sometimes but I can’t seem to quit her.” She covers her face with her hands and sighs dramatically. “What is my life?”

“What _is_ your life, squirrel? For real. It’s cra-- I mean, not that word-- it’s wild. Unbelievable, even, and I’m glad that you’re following your heart while also holding the people you love accountable.”

“Ooh, nice avoidance of the use of ableist language, Mr. Fouse. I’m so proud.”

“You know me, always trying to improve. And you, Mx. Bryant, are a compassionate and encouraging friend and don’t think I didn’t notice your own redirect earlier.”

“Thanks," Kaylee says, reaching across the table to grasp her friend's hand. "I love you, Q. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Love you too and I don’t know either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Hope and Danielle meet via multi-dimensional astral projection, Jealous!Josie, and just what is the nature of Aria and Danielle's relationship?


	6. Interlude: Always Be My Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the stars align, the players take their places. josie pov.

“Oh my god. Baby. It’s you! I’m back!” she exclaims and sits up swiftly from the bed, wrapping her lover in a tight embrace. Tears spring to her eyes as she breathes in the brunette’s comforting smell. She melts into the familiar ways their bodies mold together and rocks them back and forth for several long moments. She pulls back and locks eyes with the siphoner again, taking in the wide-eyed shock on her face. She smiles and whispers, “I’ve missed you so much,” leans in, places lingering kisses on her girlfriend’s face, first her forehead, then each cheek, and finally, her lips.

Josie is a ragdoll in the tribrid’s arms, if by ragdoll you mean a being so shocked by emotions and sensations that they cannot lift a finger or react at all. One moment Josie had been crying next to Hope and holding her hand, telling her sleeping friend about her day as had been her custom these past months, and in the next moment, Hope’s eyes had flown open with a gasp and she was gathering Josie in her arms, calling her baby and kissing her. 

Kissing her. Calling her  _ baby _ .

Josie pulls back abruptly and her hand flies to her lips as if holding in the feeling of Hope’s lips to savor later. As they stare into each other’s eyes, Josie’s thoughts are a jumble that quickly settles on the utter joy in seeing Hope awake after everyone had all but given up on her ever doing so. The all-powerful tribrid had become a real-life sleeping beauty and her friends and family had been praying for a miracle for the past year, as spell after spell failed to bring her back. 

_ Guess she just needed to wake herself up and kiss the princess herself. Duh. _

Josie breaks out into a grin. “I’ve missed you too, Hope. So much”

“Why are you calling me Hope, Kaylee?”

“Who’s Kaylee?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is not what i said this chapter was gonna be about but i realized this had to happen first. all that will be in the next one, which will hopefully get finished up soon. i always disclaim my adhd and neurodivergence so that you all don't get ur hopes up for frequent or consistent updates and i stand by it tho i will say that i will be avoiding US electoral politics and social media in favor of fanfiction for the next few weeks. love you! stay grounded, stay hydrated, and make sure you and your families are ready for emergencies and disasters. take care of each other.


	7. Who Gives a Shit about Landon?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope, Alaric, Josie, Lizzie, and Danielle debrief in Alaric's office. Drama and hilarity ensues. Lizzie is a horrible bitch and I love her.

For the second time that day, Hope’s eyes fly open and she takes in a new scene that is both familiar and confusing. She is standing in the middle of the headmaster’s office, surrounded by four people: Matt, a worried look on his face; Jenny, a smirk on her face like she knows something, but then when does she not have that look?; Kaylee, who is avoiding her eyes and seems to be blushing, which then makes her blush; and… herself? A stunt double?

“Did I miss my cue? Let me just get my script…”

“That’s not necessary, Hope. It’s me, Alaric. Danielle woke up here a couple hours ago and has explained what she knows about what’s going on. Josie and Lizzie pulled you into an astral projection, which is very hard to do in the first place let alone across multiverses, so the connection is not stable. We may not have much time. Is your body in a safe place right now? Where were you when we summoned you?”

“I… I’m good. I was on a break between shoots and got really tired and passed out on the couch in my trailer--but maybe that was just you all summoning me?” Her eyes trail back to Josie, _her_ Josie, who is looking back and forth between her and Danielle and blushing an even deeper red. Hope, in turn, stares at her like the cat that ate the canary, remembering what she had just been doing with not-her earlier in the day. 

Danielle is watching them both and begins to scowl in suspicion. _I thought we were taking space, Kaylee._

“Did something happen between you and Kaylee?”

“What? No!” Hope chokes out defensively. “Can we not talk about this right now, with _everyone_?” she half-whispers, her eyes sliding over to Josie of their own volition. 

“Obviously no, because Josie and I are holding the spell,” Lizzie snarks, the _duh_ implied. 

“Okay, well, nothing happened. Really. We didn’t do anything… much.”

“Much!? Explain.”

“As soon as I got there she took me back to her trailer and… I had no idea what was gonna happen, I thought she was Josie! And we just, like, messed around a little bit before I could stop her…”

The dopey, faraway look in Hope’s eyes infuriates Danielle. 

“Use your big girl words and TELL. ME. WHAT. YOU. DID.” Danielle’s eyes glow yellow and Hope sees for the first time how terrifying she, herself, is when she is angry. And, well, at least Hope’s worry that Danielle wouldn’t be able to defend herself isn’t an issue anymore.

“Oh god okay! Hold on…” Hope whines.

“Ooh this is fucking gold! I should have brought popcorn!” Lizzie whispers.

“Shut up Lizzie!” Alaric and Josie hiss in unison. 

Hope covers her reddened face with her hands and peeks out, looking to Josie’s stricken face before lowering her hands and mumbling, “We… we kissed and also, Kaylee, um, like rubbed herself on my leg?” 

Danielle has closed her eyes through this childish description of tribadism and takes slow, deep breaths. She still looks angry but not as angry. 

“Okay, so you are a useless baby dyke. Great.” Hope gasps and so does the rest of the room.

Alaric speaks up. “That’s just unnecessary, Danielle. We have more important things to discuss right now, like how to fulfill whatever quest you’ve been sent on by the Goddess Maat. Now let’s go over--” 

Danielle holds up her hand and he goes silent. “No, nothing is more important than this, actually. Maat told me that only love would save me!”

“Love?” Josie squeaks. Lizzie snorts and covers her mouth to hide her amusement. Alaric can’t help but roll his eyes. 

“You better start doing some _research_ so you can learn how to keep your woman satisfied, Mikaelson,” Lizzie drawls. She turns her sardonic grin to Danielle. “Or maybe it’s the other way around? How do you know Kaylee is the one who’s gonna save you with love, Danielle? You’re already halfway to wooing my dear sister, anyway.”

“I will end you, Lizzie!” Hope growls, barreling forward to take a swing at the blond and encountering nothing but air. She stumbles and just manages not to fall on her face. Lizzie just laughs.

“Enough! I’m telling you we need to stop this! We need to debrief Hope and make a gameplan!” Alaric roars, opting for yelling and anger to cover up his own embarrassment over how awkward this entire situation is. 

“Fine, Daddy, but Hope started it. I was just trying to help and she’s the one getting all violent!”

“Can you please punch her in the face for me, Danielle?” Hope pleads. “I know you want to.” 

“Not... right now.” Danielle drags her glare away from Lizzie and looks at Hope. “Alaric is right. I need to tell you what I know so here it is. I woke up after being trapped in a horrible limbo space for who-knows-how-long and the most majestic being I’ve ever seen was standing in front of me telling me she was a goddess of Justice. We were standing in what I thought was Josie’s mindscape set from season 2 but was Josie’s _actual_ mindscape, apparently? My Lady... she made me cry and beg and then told me that I needed to go on a quest because of the ‘kernels of hate’ in my heart and that it would be important to the fate of the world or something even though I wasn’t special. And she said if she hadn’t fixed things you would have been trapped in stone for years and I wouldn’t have fulfilled my potential. And then she sent me here and I thought I was home. Josie was sitting right next to me and I just barely kissed her cuz I thought she was Kaylee. And even though I'm only half convinced I'm not just having a psychotic break, I'm here and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to fulfill this quest and get back to Kaylee and everyone else I love.”

“I knew you were gonna kiss her!” Hope accuses.

“Is that really all you got out of this?” Danielle queries, her eyebrows raised.

“It was an honest mistake, Hope,” Josie says soothingly, stepping forward and reaching out, her hand floating just above where Hope’s upper arm would be and squeezing air. “I know she’s not you.”

Hope swears that she can feel it and relief floods through her. She gives Josie a shy smile that she returns easily. 

“Yeah why do you care anyway, dog breath? It’s not like you’ve had a crush on Jo since you were _fourteen_ or anything,” Lizzie taunts, arms crossed and head cocked. 

“It was only for two weeks!” Hope bites out, embarrassment evident in the red hue of her cheeks. She turns away from Josie, scared to see her reaction . 

“Wow you really hold those cards close to the chest, don’t you Mikaelson?” Danielle quips. 

“Why don’t you shut your mouth, you fucking imposter!” Hope shouts with a passion that has everyone in the room taking a step back. Tribrid powers or no, Mikaelson rage still inspires fear. “Everyone… everyone just stop fucking with me! I don’t need this shit right now.” Hope is breathing unevenly and her chin is starting to quiver. “Why do I even bother trying to be a hero or whatever the fuck I am when this is the thanks that I get? I should… I should just go…” 

Hope spins around and begins to stalk towards the door but stops just as she reaches for the handle. Walking out the door isn’t going to get her back in her body. Only Josie and Lizzie can send her back. Her shoulders slump and her head drops. The others in the room can see Hope’s shoulders begin to stutter but there is no sound to accompany her sobs. 

“Okay, um. You know what? The three of you just go over there in that corner and let me talk to Hope for a minute in private, okay?” Alaric instructs and they comply silently. He approaches Hope carefully, a sympathetic look on his face. He can't even remember the last time he's seen her break down like this. 

“Listen, Hope. Calm down. Everything is okay, okay?” Hope doesn’t respond but her shoulders still and she wipes at her face aggressively before turning around.

“No it’s not! I’m starting to feel like I’m losing my mind, Alaric! I don’t know how I’m supposed to act. Like literally, I’m not an actress. Why am I even there? Sure, Danielle has a quest but what is mine?”

Alaric sighs. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any answers for you yet, Hope, but we’re working on it. All I know is that you are one of the most caring, capable, and talented people that I have ever known. I have faith that you will figure it out. We are all going to figure this out together, okay? You’re not alone.”

“But I _am_ . Everyone looks the same there but no one _is_. I don’t even have my powers. How am I supposed to defend myself or anyone else?”

“I hear you. I know it can’t be easy there for you. But I’m telling you, we’re all still here and now we know that we can reach you. We love you. We’re gonna do what needs to be done like we always do and then we’re gonna get you back. Do you believe me?”

“Maybe.”

“Well that’s better than nothing,” Alaric says with a lopsided grin. “Let’s work on that gameplan, okay?

Hope and Alaric head back towards the other three, who are talking in heated whispers. As they get closer they hear Lizzie say incredulously, “Who gives a shit about Landon?”

Oh god. Landon. “Where is Landon?” Hope asks breathlessly. 

They all look everywhere but at her and her stomach drops. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so we didn't quite make it to jealous!josie but we will. hope had enuf for the both of them. i hope by now u all know that i'm trying to express how things might realistically feel for everyone involved. like, hope can't always be a perfectly stoic hero, especially when her support network and everything that makes her feel like she's worth anything has been taken away. feel free to let me know how you think i did or how you think other characters would react to these situations. thanks for reading! 
> 
> next: josie and lizzie debrief the debrief


End file.
